Havoc, a startup based in Gig Harbor, Wash., has launched a high-frequency (HF) RFID solution with ruggedized hardware for tracking inventory, inspections and maintenance on fall-protection and other safety equipment, as well as additional assets used on construction sites. The system consists of cloud-based software known as SuperTrack.CT, in addition to 13.56 MHz HF RFID readers and tags, both encased in material designed to prevent damage at a worksite.

Safety products company Guardian Fall Protection is the first adopter of Havoc's technology, using the firm's readers and software for its G-Track system for tracking inventory, as well as product inspection and maintenance, at job sites. Guardian has been working with RFID technology for several years, in an effort to develop a solution that would improve worksite safety by making it easier for safety directors to track the locations and conditions of its gear, says Ed Marquardt, Guardian Fall Protection's president. However, the RFID hardware and software available on the market fell short of what he needed. The systems were designed for industrial or oil and gas operations, he explains, and not specifically for the use case of Guardian's clientele—construction companies, general contractors and the distributors that serve them.

The Scanning Armored (SCAR) heavy-duty tablet has a built-in HF RFID reader that works in conjunction with Havoc's SuperTrack asset-managing software.

Eric Lewis, who shared business contacts with Guardian, founded Havoc in 2012 to meet the needs of Guardian and other construction-industry companies. Lewis had several decades of experience with the RF equipment used in two-way radios. Havoc's HF readers and tags are ruggedized for deployment at construction sites, while the cloud-based software enables users to store data specific to their safety gear at construction sites—including where each item is being used or stored, so that it can be easily located.

According to Marquardt, several of Guardian's customers are now using the G-Track system, which became commercially available this month.

Guardian manufactures a wide range of harnesses, lanyards, lifelines and anchor points. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) both require that construction companies regularly inspect items (typically every six months) to ensure that they are safe to operate, and also can dictate when those assets need to be discarded. Safety-equipment manufacturers, such as Guardian, also provide users with their own recommendations regarding a particular item's lifespan and how often it should be inspected or maintained.

Guardian sought an RFID-based solution to enable it and its customers to better track this information, as well as present it to regulatory agencies. The solutions that Guardian identified, however, would have required some customization to meet the ruggedization needs of its customers, and those providers were unable to offer such customization. Therefore, the firm began working with Havoc.